Lucy Craymer and Christina Chen
Updated ,first published
Wellington: Two teenagers are among six people missing after a landslide hit a busy campsite on New Zealand’s North Island, authorities said Friday, as rescuers worked around the clock to locate survivors under the rubble.
Heavy rain triggered the landslide at 9.30am (7.30am AEDT) on Thursday at Mount Maunganui on the island’s east coast, carrying dirt and debris to the site in the city of Tauranga, where families were enjoying the school summer holidays. No deaths have been confirmed.
“We have 25 people working with contractors and their excavators and police dogs, as well as police operations to ensure that every inch of dirt removed is cleaned up,” said David Guard, fire and emergency official.
However, the magnitude of the disaster and the risks at the site could delay rescue efforts, said New Zealand Police Commissioner Richard Chambers. The New Zealand Herald.
“It could be days, and we appreciate that everyone is anxious and waiting for their loved ones and some answers, but we also have to be very careful,” Chambers said.
The youngest of the missing was 15 years old, police Commander Tim Anderson said at a news conference, adding that authorities were struggling to contact three other people.
“We don’t believe they’re here, but we still have to do that investigation,” Anderson said.
No signs of life had been detected in the rubble since rescuers initially heard voices on Thursday, Anderson added.
Video footage showed recreational vehicles and at least one crushed structure at the campground.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon visited the site on Friday and met with affected families. “They are suffering incredibly and I know New Zealand is mourning with them,” he said.
Luxon promised government funding for affected areas once the damage has been assessed. Responding to reporters’ questions about why the evacuation of the camp had not been quicker, he said there would be a public review of the circumstances.
Rain that hit almost the entire east coast of the North Island triggered another landslide in the neighboring suburb of Papamoa, killing two people.
One was a Chinese national, Chinese Ambassador Wang Xiaolong posted on X on Friday.
Roads remained closed in some of the worst affected areas, making some North Island towns inaccessible by land.
On social media, civil defense authorities in Tairawhiti district warned people seeking to collect emergency supplies of water and food not to make their way over the landslides as it risked causing further movement of rocks and soil.
Reuters
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